Yokohama, Wanli Suit Completed

Yokohama Tire Corp has resolved the last phase of its patent and trade dress infringement suit relating to Wanli S-1099 tyres sold in the US. It is not clear whether or not the case will have any bearing on the European tyre business and Belgian wholesaler Deldo, the exclusive European distributor of Wanli tyres, still lists the S-1099 in its catalogue. Speaking on behalf of the company, Phillip Delcroix told Tyres & Accessories he was “not aware of any problem.”

Yokohama originally sued three parties – South China Tire Co, the manufacturer; Zisser Tire Corp, the exclusive US distributor; and a Los Angeles retailer – claiming the Wanli S-1099 infringed upon Yokohama’s trademarks and patents due to its similarity in appearance to Yokohama’s AVS Sport tyre.

Yokohama said that it had injunctions to prevent the tyre from being sold in the US, and last week it settled its claims against South China Tire, which manufactured the products in question. The terms of the settlement remain confidential.

“We are very satisfied with the entry of the permanent injunctions by the court and with our settlement with South China Tire and we will continue to aggressively protect our patents and trademarks,” said James MacMaster, Yokohama’s executive vice president.